> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.soren.work/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Waymo: Inclusive Wayfinding Research - URL: https://www.soren.work/work/waymo-inclusive-wayfinding-research/ - Published: 2022-12-21T12:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-11T20:40:14.000Z - Description: Research and design work supporting Waymo's Inclusive Design Challenge submission — testing wayfinding concepts with blind and low-vision riders across two rounds of research, contributing to Waymo's 2022 DoT Inclusive Design Award. - Author: Soren Hamby - Tags: Accessibility, Service Design, Case study Client Waymo (via Jack Strategy) Timeline 2021-2022 Services Service Design · Accessibility · UX Research · Strategy Link [Waymo Accessibility Work Recognized by USDOT](https://waymo.com/community/articles/waymos-accessibility-work-with-advocates-recognized-by-usdot/?ref=soren.work) ## The Challenge Getting to and boarding a self-driving car adds real friction for blind and low-vision riders who can't just look for a driver waving them over: Waymo's own service data showed 31.5% of rider pick-up journeys required walking more than 25 meters, across a mobility journey with seven distinct stages from arranging the trip to arriving at a destination. Kevin Malta's Waymo team needed research-backed wayfinding concepts validated with the riders who'd actually depend on them, in support of a submission to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inclusive Design Challenge. ![A research participant with a white cane holding up a phone on a Market Street sidewalk.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-cane-market-street.jpg) ## The Goal Design and test wayfinding concepts against real proximity scenarios — a few blocks away, on the same block, right nearby — and translate research findings into design principles and next steps solid enough to support the DOT submission and guide what Waymo's product team built next. ## The Solution As a design and research consultant working with Waymo through Jack Strategy, I contributed to two rounds of research, selecting and testing five prototyped wayfinding concepts: 1. improved in-app navigation with VoiceOver and TalkBack support and Google Maps turn-by-turn integration, 2. purpose-built car sounds and melodies, 3. light-based vehicle identification, 4. hands-free in-car communication, 5. video chat support with Rider Support agents. ![Illustration of a hand holding a phone that announces "Your car is 100 yards away," with the car in the distance.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/concept-locating-lights.png) ![Illustration of a rider with a white cane walking toward a self-driving car that is playing a melody.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/concept-rider-wayfinding.png) ![Illustration of a rider looking toward a self-driving car whose lights are glowing to signal its location.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/concept-vehicle-lights.png) ![Illustration of a rider with a backpack being greeted by name by a speech bubble from the car.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/concept-app-navigation.png) ![Illustration of a phone video call with a Rider Support agent saying the door handle is a few feet in front of the rider.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/concept-car-sounds.png) The five concepts: better app navigation, purpose-built car sounds, locating with lights, hands-free car comms, and video chat with Rider Support. Round 1 ran ten in-person 90-minute interviews on Market Street in San Francisco, testing organic wayfinding, a honk-horn feature, and rider support tools directly with blind and low-vision participants. ![Three masked researchers checking phones together on a sidewalk during a field session.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-team-testing.jpg) Running in-person sessions on Market Street. Round 2 moved remote, simulating hands-free wayfinding with VoiceOver, low-GPS conditions, and post-ride orientation with another ten participants. ![Waymo app prototype showing a walking route on the map and "4 min to pickup."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/prototype-turn-by-turn.png) ![Waymo app prototype showing the car 40 feet ahead with a direction arrow and a "Honk the car's horn" button.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/prototype-app-nearby.png) ![Waymo app prototype with wayfinding and car controls grouped in the "Ready at pickup" bottom sheet.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/prototype-ready-at-pickup.png) ![Waymo app prototype of a video chat call with a Rider Support agent.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/prototype-video-chat.png) Prototype screens: turn-by-turn walking directions, car proximity, consolidated car controls, and Rider Support video chat. The research surfaced personalized preferences — some testers wanted left/right directions with qualifiers like “bear” or “sharp” over clock-face or cardinal directions, on-demand rather than rate-limited melody replay, and curbside pickup even at the cost of extra walking distance, especially with a guide dog — and validated that video chat with Rider Support tested well even among initially skeptical participants. ![A participant standing on the sidewalk with their guide dog.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-guide-dog.jpg) Curbside pickup mattered most to riders traveling with a guide dog or cane. Those findings shaped four design principles for the team: 1. safe and comfortable over fast and close, 2. flexibility over universality, 3. preparedness over just-in-time discovery, and 4. seamless integration over discrete moments. The research fed directly into Waymo's Inclusive Design Challenge submission, which the DOT recognized with a 2022 Inclusive Design Award. ## Gallery ![Two people crossing a sunny downtown San Francisco intersection, one using a walker.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-crosswalk.jpg) ![A research participant with a white cane holding up a phone on a Market Street sidewalk.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-cane-market-street.jpg) ![A participant in a red jacket with a white cane checks a phone beside a researcher on a brick sidewalk.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-walk-to-car.png) ![A participant opening the rear door of a white Waymo vehicle at the curb.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-boarding.png) ![Close-up of a Waymo vehicle's lit rooftop sensor dome, used to help riders identify their car.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-dome-lights.png) ![A participant holding a phone running the Waymo app prototype.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-phone-in-hand.jpg) ![A participant seated in the back of a Waymo vehicle, seen through the open door.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-in-car.jpg) ![A participant holding up a phone to show their surroundings during a Rider Support video chat test.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-video-chat-test.png) ![A participant and a researcher standing on a plaza sidewalk during an orientation exercise.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/62/6e/626e965b-3b3c-484d-9872-fb6d95152863/content/images/2026/10/field-orientation.jpg) Round 1 fieldwork on Market Street, San Francisco.